Nonfiction Text Structure Lessons

Teaching nonfiction text structure can be a bit of a challenge to make interesting for students. Nonfiction text structures can also be a difficult concept for students to completely grasp and apply. However, it’s an important part of reading comprehension, especially with informational text. Fortunately, I have a few strategies that have been efficient, AND students actually enjoyed the lessons! That’s a win-win.

I display an anchor chart with nonfiction text structures, but I don’t introduce all of the features at one time, because that can be overwhelming. Instead, I spend a few days on each type text structure. When I display the anchor chart, I cover the different sections and display one section at a time until we work our way through each type option.

You can download the nonfiction text structure anchor charts for free at the link at the bottom of the page!

I found a great way to introduce nonfiction text structures at Literacy for Big Kids. We all know that our students love movies, so why not introduce nonfiction text structure with movie clips. In the blog post you’ll find a series of popular children’s movie clips with scenes that reflect the different structures. It is definitely a post to bookmark!

As I introduce the different types of nonfiction text structures, students add a new entry to their interactive notebook, which you can download for free here.

I then introduce informational books that demonstrate that particular nonfiction text structure. I always like getting real literature in my students’ hands as quickly as I can.

Since nonfiction text structures are such a challenging skill for students, so I spend a good two weeks on this unit. In my Reading Unit 2, I’ve written a brief informational passage in descriptive, compare and contrast, cause and effect, problem and solution, and sequential order text structures. Underneath the passage there is a graphic organizer that is related to that text structure that students can complete using the passage.

Nonfiction Text Structures – Application

To really solidify student understanding, have students apply what they’ve learned through writing. You can center this project around whatever we are learning  in social studies or science. For example, when I taught nonfiction text features, we were in the middle of our weather unit, so I focused each of the lessons on weather. This is a great topic that lends itself to multiple text structures. I’ve found that some topics can be a bit tricky to write about using various text structures. In my reading unit, I’ve included the weather pages my students used, plus blank pages that can be used for any topic.

I typically spend about three days on each nonfiction text structure. On day 1, I introduce and read mentor text. Day 2 involves reading passage and completing the graphic organizer. On Day 3, write a paragraph using either description, compare & contrast, cause & effect, sequential order, or problem & solution. After students have studied all five text structures and have written their paragraphs, we compile them into a book by stapling the papers in-between a large sheet of construction paper.

As an extension to the nonfiction text structure booklet, you can add informational text features to the booklet. Students could draw and add their own text features.

You can find these lessons in the 3rd-5th Grade Guided Reading Unit 2. If you’d like to learn more about teaching upper elementary reading, check out this post!